The District: Czech Village and New Bohemia celebrates successes at annual ‘State of the District’ luncheon

The District: Czech Village & New Bohemia celebrated the successes of the past year and announced new initiatives at the annual State of the District Luncheon April 15. About 200 people attended the annual event at the Olympic South Side Theater in NewBo. David Ernst, The District board president, said in prepared remarks that the district, formed in 2009 under the Main Street Iowa umbrella in the wake of the city’s catastrophic 2008 floods, has continued to build on its legacy of transformation and resilience. “We’ve been successful in adjusting work to meet needs and realize goals because we value stakeholders and collaboration,” Mr. Ernst said. “This year we are transforming again. We are building a strategic plan with community conversations, we are aligning our economic development goals with the city, and we are including our neighbors in new programming.” District board president-elect Julie Parisi stood in as host for the annual event, as executive director Jennifer Borcherding was unable to attend due to a family concern. Ms. Parisi highlighted The District's progress over the past year, including the creation or relocation of four businesses, eight new jobs, five new buildings and one building sale. In total, the developments represented more than $14 million in private investment and more than $5 million from the city of Cedar Rapids. Private investment in the district has now exceeded $100 million, among the largest of any Main Street Iowa district, district leaders said. The District also hosted 10 events throughout the year, mostly through the efforts of former District executive director Jim Miller and program director Ann Poe, along with an estimated 3,000 volunteer hours throughout the year. The historic National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library’s clocktower, transformed into an astronomical clock know as an “orloj,” was dedicated in a formal ceremony in September attended by the presidents of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Novak Plaza was dedicated in Czech Village in 2024, including Mary Kay’s Garden, an homage to Mary Kay McGrath, known as “the angel of Czech Village,” a longtime supporter who passed away in February 2024. The African American Museum of Iowa reopened in 2024 after an extensive 18-month renovation. And Ms. Borcherding was hired as The District’s new executive director in November. The District plans several new initiatives in 2025, including a Neighborhood Inclusion Initiative to encourage neighborhood engagement, the installation of multimedia screens in residential common areas to share District digital content, and new marketing initiatives driven by digital data. Ms. Borcherding’s written remarks, delivered by Ms. Parisi, cited the district’s diverse offerings using the example of a wedding. “Did you know that we have everything in the District to host a wedding and grow business synergies along the way?” she said. ”We have five info venues to host weddings and/or receptions. We have caterers. We have hair stylists, spray tan artists, professional makeup artists and photographers. We have a florist, we have party favor creators, and we have musicians. And with Ringer Golf, we have a great place to be for wedding party members who maybe don't need to have their makeup done.” Speakers at the annual meeting included Czech Village Association board chair Alicia Freese, Czech Village-New Bohemia SSMID administrator Monica Vernon and Mount Trashmore Challenge coordinator Josh McNary. The event also included the presentation of Robert Chadima Visionary Awards to Rachel Rupert, owner of Indigo River, an eco-conscious gift shop and provider of cleaning products and personal care supplies, and to Jeff Morrow, president of Anderson-Bogert Engineers and recent District Board of Directors president. And the District Trailblazer award was presented to the late Bob Meisterling, founder of Ringer Golf, an indoor golf simulator that opened in the Czech Village in 2022. Mr. Meisterling’s father, Dick, accepted the award on his son’s behalf.